Spiritual Fusion
by The Elemental Shark
Summary: From one journey to another, they were in this together now. Yubel/Judai


Notes: This was written for the 50 sentences Livejournal challenge. It's pretty repetitive, given that Judai and Yubel have a limited amount of interaction time overall, but I did what I could? Naturally, though, this contains spoilers through episode 156.

And I admit, the title isn't that great either, but at least better than the first idea I had: _Reactants_, for which I blame lack of sleep and Bio. In case anyone doesn't know (because I didn't until I looked), Spiritual Fusion is the card Judai used at the end of episode 155.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh GX.

**#01 – Ring**

Maybe they hadn't been betrothed and they could never be married, in the past or in the present, but he had loved Yubel and Yubel had loved him and that was enough.

**#02 – Hero**

Judai had no idea why Yubel smiled whenever he read comic books like Superman and The Fantastic Four; he didn't mind, since he liked it when Yubel smiled.

**#03 – Memory**

Yubel had no idea why Judai didn't know about the past when Yubel remembered it all, but maybe that was better; if Judai knew, he might still be sad about what Yubel had done for him.

**#04 – Box**

The wrapping from most of his presents from that birthday had long been discarded, but Judai enjoyed having that little gray box and the plastic sleeve it held lying around.

**#05 – Run**

Yubel had given up the chance to chase and laugh and play games with him like innocent children over a lifetime ago; Judai, again a child, laughed and ran and played enough for the both of them.

**#06 – Hurricane**

"A butterfly flapping its wings in China could cause a hurricane in America," Judai read aloud, and he said to Yubel, "Your wings are bigger…what happens if you start flapping those?"

**#07 – Wings**

"Can you take me with you someday?" he asked, and it summoned up fond memories of skimming their fingers through the ocean from in midair; the transformation hadn't always been so horrible.

**#08 – Cold**

At night, Judai slept in a comfy bed with warm blankets while Yubel stayed in the deck; to stay in a card the whole night seemed awfully bare, so now and then on cool nights Judai would take out his favorite sweater and nestle his deck in it to make a nice, soft makeshift bed to help Yubel and his other cards.

**#09 – Red**

Judai was the epitome of red: hot, fiery red with the energy and burning passion and everything that gave _life_ to the one who was now alive only to him.

**#10 – Drink**

Judai began having a cup of water with plenty of ice before bedtime when the nightmares started, as if it could give him the power to could quench the flames surrounding them.

**#11 – Midnight**

Yubel would always point out that it was too late in the night for a small boy to still be up reading comic books; Judai would always plead for _just a few more minutes, come on_ to let him finish.

**#12 – Temptation**

Yubel's life was defined by two things: the duty of protecting Judai, and the love the two of them shared; it was almost inevitable that the two would intermingle and just as inevitable that one should overtake the other in the act, when Judai was the only one who could get past Yubel's otherwise invulnerable armor; maybe it was selfish to let it happen so easily, but it couldn't be helped.

**#13 – View**

Judai wanted to fly someday, not only because lots of heroes could do it but because it would be cool to see the world from where Yubel saw it, too.

**#14 – Music**

He once awoke from a dream about brightly glowing, shapeless monsters chasing after him in a desert; Yubel sang a soft tune that stuck a chord somewhere within him, and he soon drifted off into an easy sleep.

**#15 – Silk**

He was little more than a child yet, but Judai resembled his past self in many ways; when he first donned a cape, it was a simple red blanket for playing superhero instead of the more decorative one he'd once owned, but it was charming nevertheless.

**#16 – Cover**

"Did I just hear them talking?" Judai asked himself, examining the deck box from this angle and that; it was getting hard to think about what had happened, though, so he shrugged and went back to sleep.

**#17 – Promise **_(continuation of #7 – Wings)_

Judai always enjoyed going to the beach, and it wasn't just for the fun—standing there watching the sun set, a strange but intense awe and a quiet, unflinching resolution would always spread over him, and it felt good to sit down by the water and skim a hand through the ocean's surface.

**#18 – Dream**

Yubel couldn't believe that Judai really was right there, watching; Judai was all too willing to believe that Yubel was suffering.

**#19 – Candle**

A single flame burning at night would inevitably die out, but when the light was overtaken some of the warmth would remain in the air; Yubel trusted that Judai would still be Judai even if he changed.

**#20 – Talent**

"If I could be a superhero, I would want the power to fly up into space and save everybody," seven-year-old Judai declared, and when the teacher asked him why he said more quietly, "I don't know."

**#21 – Silence**

Judai refused to tell his parents what was in his nightmares, partly because they wouldn't believe him and partly because even if he almost always woke up scared and screaming, he couldn't risk them trying to take away those dreams.

**#22 – Journey**

Yubel hoped that Judai had begun growing from a boy into a man, and that he would make it through despite his protector's absence.

**#23 – Fire**

Fire could singe and scorch and sear, but the dangers of approaching it were ultimately worth the comfort and warmth; he was too important to give up on, even if it hurt.

**#24 – Strength**

Yubel had undergone one change in the past for Judai's sake; now, as Yubel's whole being began warping for the second time, only the thought of Judai and the belief that this pain had meaning, that it was_ right_ somehow, kept Yubel sane.

**#25 – Mask**

His parents treated him strangely now, Judai thought, and they kept whispering to each other at bedtime ever since he came from that check-up; but he didn't went to upset them, so he smiled and laughed and pretended to ignore that and the funny feeling the doctors had done more than just a couple of weird tests that day, and eventually he slipped into the act for real.

**#26 – Ice**

After so much agony, Yubel was finally more than a spirit again, arm or not; the burning of Judai's love lingered, and though Yubel loved it there were times when Yubel briefly wished there was something else to balance it.

**#27 – Fall**

The autumn leaves looked beautiful this season, and the future looked bright; the chance to see Judai was steadily approaching, and Yubel anticipated a nice change.

**#28 – Forgotten**

He still couldn't remember everything from when they were partners, and he found that more upsetting than he probably should have.

**#29 – Dance**

It was only once, in their past lives—a simple celebration, a joyous merriment between two young children at a festive party—but Yubel never wanted to forget it.

**#30 – Body**

Since Yubel's return Judai's memories had begun flooding back, and sparsely scattered among them were a few flashes of a young, blue-haired somebody Judai recognized but didn't.

**#31 – Sacred**

Judai had been Yubel's hero and Yubel had been his protector; theirs was a bond Yubel cherished, even after he first died.

**#32 – Farewells**

It took two weeks of constant pleading and begging his parents, but Judai wouldn't have missed that rocket launch for the world, whether or not Yubel knew he was there to see it.

**#33 – World**

Maybe their love _was_ in the past, left in a dimension this Judai had never known, and the here and now was for _that boy_—but Yubel dismissed the thought; Judai was not a liar, reincarnation or not.

**#34 – Formal**

Yubel had changed, regardless of what he remembered now; Judai told himself he would not (couldn't afford to) treat Yubel as a friend he'd known in the past; excusing his friends' deaths was not an option.

**#35 – Fever**

No matter what Judai claimed, Yubel didn't believe an evil alien force from the Sun had made him hot and cold and dizzy, as much as staying out in the cold had; Yubel said nothing, however, and chuckled while Judai invented dozens of ways to defeat the evil alien.

**#36 – Laugh**

The world froze when he was happy, and nothing else would matter; Yubel longed to hear that laughter and see that grin again, but now was not the time—that would have to wait until he remembered their love and they could be happy because of it.

**#37 – Lies**

"Yes, we'll duel, but not to understand"—but even as he said it Judai knew he wouldn't make it out of this duel _without_ understanding somehow.

**#38 – Forever**

He'd promised his love, and Yubel was holding him to that; as Judai had said before he died, their love and their promise were continuing into their next lives.

**#39 – Overwhelmed**

There was so much Judai wanted to say to Yubel, and even more he felt about Yubel's return: vague, half-formed questions, shapeless emotions, tinges of hurt, and blaring outrage at his friends' fate; it was all too much, so he focused on the anger and tried to push everything else out.

**#40 – Whisper**

Talking with Johan stirs a corner in Judai's mind, and for a second he struggles: "How long has it been since I've been able to see spirits?"

**#41 – Wait**

It had taken death to separate the two of them before; no matter how much time and effort it took, Yubel was determined to be back together with Judai.

**#42 – Talk**

Judai tried to ignore the fact that sometimes, when he thought about Yubel, a sting would prick him and he had to shove away an urge to ask about everything that had happened over the years since the rocket launched.

**#43 – Search**

Yubel never stopped trying to find him, even when it took years; Judai tried not to dwell on whether or not he would have done the same if his memories hadn't been sealed.

**#44 – Hope**

Could Yubel be saved, Judai asked himself, or changed like he'd thought when he sent those cards into space; he wanted to believe it as strongly as he had years ago, and in this world that meant it was possible, right?

**#45 – Eclipse**

Judai was still reluctant to believe he and the Supreme King were one, but Yubel knew better; in overtaking the light in him, Judai's darkness had finally begun to manifest itself for a task he'd been born for centuries ago, and that knowledge was all the more reason for pleasure.

**#46 – Gravity**

_Judai doesn't love me anymore_­—and the weight of pain no longer tempered by love suddenly gone was heavy and threatening, but if Yubel was going to be crushed then _the entire world_ was coming along for the ride.

**#47 – Highway**

Judai knew what he was and what Yubel was, and he knew what had to be accomplished; he didn't hesitate, because this knowledge had them hurtling on a one-way road at breakneck speeds and he wasn't about to let it end any other way.

**#48 – Unknown**

Fusing together was entirely new, for all Yubel had watched Judai duel; they were covering new ground with this, and Yubel accepted the fusion and their love with open arms.

**#49 – Lock**

This fusion would have no De-Fusion, no possible undoing—once Judai activated the card there was no going back—and _he didn't care_; they had something to do and together, they could do it.

**#50 – Breathe**

He was home (_they_ were home); he disguised a deep breath and a sigh of relief as a sniff of his food and smiled.


End file.
